After months of delay and safety concerns, the first asylum seekers were marched up the gangplank of the Bibby Stockholm barge this week. If they don’t like the vessel, they can ‘f*** off back to France’, was the eyebrow-raising verdict of Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson. The senior Tory MP made a second startling statement: a public admission the government has ‘failed’ on migration. Lucy Fisher is joined by FT columnists Robert Shrimsley and Miranda Green to rake through the facts. They also consider the pitfalls of too much caution in politics. Plus, James Kynge, the FT’s global China editor, offers his take on claims the UK has been ‘weak’ over giving in to US pressure to cut back on dealings with Beijing.
Follow Lucy on Twitter @LOS_Fisher
Want more? Free links here:
Starmer won’t give the Tories an opportunity – that’s their opportunity
The great ‘Brexit’ and ‘coalition’ taboos are holding the Lib Dems back
Bibby Stockholm and the battle over asylum
Rishi Sunak weighs following Biden on curbing tech investment in China
Get the FT’s award-winning Inside Politics newsletter free for 90 days here
Presented by Lucy Fisher. Produced by Philippa Goodrich and Lulu Smyth with Andrew Georgiades. Executive producer, Manuela Saragosa. Mix by Simon Panayi. Original music by Breen Turner. The FT’s global head of audio is Cheryl Brumley.
